CHOOSING BETWEEN ENERGY EFFICIENCY OR WATER SAVINGS FOR GREEN BUILDING POINTS? Interesting take—I get where you’re coming from, but I’d push back a l...

Funny, I used to be all about “real wood or bust,” but after one too many wavy walls, I’m with you—engineered lumber just makes life easier. Last time...

That’s exactly it. I once had to walk an inspector through a passive vent setup that actually exceeded the code’s intent for air quality, but because ...

WHEN PROGRESS HITS A WALL: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT FAILED EXPERIMENTS I get what you’re saying about gadgets sometimes being more hassle than help, bu...

I've had mixed luck with that. Once, I brought out the stamped plans and pointed to the exact vent location, and the inspector actually backed off—he ...

NO MORE DEAD ZONES: HOW I GOT WIFI IN MY BACKYARD SHED I get the appeal of Cat6—honestly, I almost went that route myself just to avoid the learning ...

MAKING THE SWITCH TO WATER-SAVING TOILETS: WORTH IT? You’re spot on about the double flush thing—if you have to flush twice every time, it kind of de...

Funny you mention the bookshelf thing—I once spent a whole winter wondering why my living room was freezing, only to realize I’d shoved a big armchair...